The hidden culprit behind rising dust ...

[cyprusmax47]

This article in today's CMail is in my opinion exactly the problem we have here in Cyprus concerning our soil...

https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/05/22/the- ... st-levels/

Max
Ex-organic farmer

[Dominic]

The author of that article needs to learn how to summarise.

[Kili01]

I thought that this article was interesting, though agree that the author was somewhat verbose in his writing style. But the way that he arrived at his conclusions was thought provoking. Even with my smallgarden, you notice how quickly the soil in flower beds dries outin the sun.Which leads to more frequent watering of some plants.
I have already tried to mulch mine with plant matter.
I think the idea of local communities investing in a chipper shredder would be a great forward thinking idea.If all garden and commercial enterprises were able to shred their 'green waste of clippings, trimmings etc, to be used to enrich the dry arid soil before if blows about as dust..

[cyprusmax47]

What was missing in that article is the fact that many farmers using weedkiller in order to have more time for the coffee shop...

I remember them calling me mad Max when I was cutting the weeds at my organic orange farm with a lawnmower every month, even in August and telling me:" one spray with weedkiller in April and that's it for the season"....

Max

[Jimgym]

There's a garden recycling plant in Tala not far from me. They also sell bags of mulch so it might be worth people enquiring there.

[jeba]

What's also contributing to the problem is that there are so many dirt roads in Cyprus.

[Devil]

Sorry, Jeba, I cannot agree with you. The dust particles from muddy roads are harmless because their sheer mass settles rapidly. The real damage of dust is caused by much finer particles. What we are talking about is essentially dust which causes physiological damage to the respiratory system. Most dust has a particle size >> 10 µm and very little of it will enter the body. More than 90% of 10 µm dust is retained in the nose and throat, largely by mucus. Smaller particles than this can and do harm; 5 µm dust is mostly retained in the bronchi but 1.0 µm dust will partially reach the alveoli, where the damage may be much more pronounced (think of the past millions of miners and stonemasons disabled with pneumoconiosis and pneumosilicosis!).

What is really important is the particulate matter generated in internal combustion engines and equally by frictional wear of rubber on roads, hard roads, not dirt tracks. Both sources of dust are of a particulate matter dimension below 10 µm and a small fraction of it below 1.0 µm. This can cause real physiological damage. Finally, do not forget that this island would be a desert without regular dust providing nutrients to the soil.

[Jimgym]

The dust is killing my throat and nasal passages. I've got a throat spray from pharmacy and pills for sinus. Hopefully it'll ease soon.

[Kili01]

Thanks, Jim,
I wonder if they will shed small amounts of garden rubbish, or if they will charge you and then just add your contribution of green waste to the heap waiting?
Some time I must go there to enquire..
Dee

[jeba]

Sorry, Jeba, I cannot agree with you. The dust particles from muddy roads are harmless because their sheer mass settles rapidly. The real damage of dust is caused by much finer particles. What we are talking about is essentially dust which causes physiological damage to the respiratory system. Most dust has a particle size >> 10 µm and very little of it will enter the body. More than 90% of 10 µm dust is retained in the nose and throat, largely by mucus. Smaller particles than this can and do harm; 5 µm dust is mostly retained in the bronchi but 1.0 µm dust will partially reach the alveoli, where the damage may be much more pronounced (think of the past millions of miners and stonemasons disabled with pneumoconiosis and pneumosilicosis!).

As I think I´ve already told you in another thread, your assumption that only very small particles which can make it into the lungs are a problem, isn´t correct. While this may be true for healthy people, it´s not true for those with hyperreactive airways. For them, bigger particles can cause asthma attacks. When my girlfriend is visiting, she needs to have her asthma spray at hand at all times, whereas otherwise she can do without using it for weeks. Apart from that, I´m already annoyed from my car and my washing being covered in dust as I´m living only about 100 m from a dirt road. I had to buy a tumble dryer for that reason.

[JimX]

Maybe the answer is to keep wearing those masks?

[jeba]

Maybe the answer is to keep wearing those masks?

For me the answer was buying a plot which is far away from a dirt road.

[WHL]

Maybe the answer is to keep wearing those masks?

For me the answer was buying a plot which is far away from a dirt road.

I live next to a field with a dirt road, Jeba you trying to link Cyprus dirt roads to be adding to the dust levels in the sky we have had recently is with respect, laughable, we get half a dozen old boys driving down them a day, in there clapped out double cabins...

[trevnhil]

What about all the ploughing that is done, and the cutting a collecting of grain crops

[WHL]

What about all the ploughing that is done, and the cutting a collecting of grain crops

That been done for thousands of years, No?

[Devil]

https://science.howstuffworks.com/natur ... -storm.htm

To put things fairly straight, I suggest you read the half-dozen pages at and following the above link. This is not particularly scientific and is easy to understand but the basic facts in the long articles explain what dust is, what happens to it, what effects it has and so on. I agree with WHL that there is nothing new under the sun and that this island has been practically dependent on dust for many centuries, with or without human intervention.

[jeba]

Maybe the answer is to keep wearing those masks?

For me the answer was buying a plot which is far away from a dirt road.

Jeba you trying to link Cyprus dirt roads to be adding to the dust levels in the sky we have had recently is with respect, laughable,

Where have I done that? Do you think I hang up my washing in the sky?